Jealousy
by Janette-Chentel
Summary: **Re-edited and updated**The Gang's older, and Arnie's back, but he's not the same geek he was 8 years ago. Can Arnold contain his jealousy when Arnie turns his attentions to Helga?
1. Chapter 1

This is a story I started several years ago. I plan to finish it.

The characters of Hey Arnold! Do not belong to me. They belong to Nickelodeon and Craig Barrett. I'm just borrowing them to practice on.

Jealousy

By Janette Chentel

While most of the residents of Hillwood were enjoying the luxuries of air conditioning or the cooling sensation provided by the public pool, a group of teenager braved the 89 degree weather using a different method.

By spending the day in the vacant lot known as Gerald Field.

The field was used for many sports, and on the hot day of today, it was being used by the old gang of P.S. 118 for a baseball game.

"Strike three, you're OUT!" the catcher yelled as the worn-out baseball met with her glove. The black catcher's mask was a sharp contrast to her pale blonde hair, which was tied back into a loose ponytail by a pink bow. She wore a tight short sleeved shirt, which was pink also. Her baggy jeans were covered in dust from where she had been leaning close to the ground.

The batter, a tall boy with a slightly big nose and spiky tan hair, sighed as he set the bat down and returned to his teammates. "Ah, Shucks. That blasted ball keeps getting by me," he said in a thick hickish accent. The teen sighed in annoyance as he took a seat down against a brick wall, which was slightly hot from the angle the sun was hitting it.

A young black man, with cornrows in his hair, wearing a baggy faded red shirt with the number 33 on the front, slapped the other on the shoulder and replied, "Don't worry, Stinky. We're only down by one run, which I'm sure Arnold can get for us." He turned to the boy in question, whose blonde untamed hair was a lost cause when it came to the efforts of a comb. This teen just nodded, standing up to dust off the dirt from his blue t-shirt and jeans. On his face was a look of determination as he made his way to home plate, grabbing the bat that the former occupant had dropped. The catcher, however, just smirked as she stood up.

"Ready to strike out, Football Head," she said, pulling the black mask over her face once more.

"Keep dreaming, Pataki. I'm going to win the game, and you are going to shake my hand, admitting defeat," replied Arnold, giving the bat a couple of practice swings. As an afterthought, he turned to the catcher to add, "But I'll try to downplay the inevitable victory dance, Helga, if you agree to by ice cream for the winning team."

The girl smiled, squatting back down to the plate. "I recommend downplaying the ego trip, Arnold, and admitting that your so-called 'victory' is a lost cause."

With that, the game resumed…

Even at the age of seventeen, the former gang of P.S. 118 still had bonds that would not be broken. Bonds that had actually strengthened over the transition from the innocence of childhood to the awkwardness of growing into teenagers. However, there were some aspects that would not change, such as the annoying nicknames that began in grade school. Those names that seemed teasing at age nine had turned into playful nicknames over the years. Thus, Arnold took no offense to his name of "Football Head," and Stinky was still known as Stinky. And with the changes from moving up to a different school came changes within the students themselves.

Helga no longer bullied Arnold around. The two had disagreements, but they did not require the efforts of Old Betsy and the Five Avengers. Gerald remained Arnold's best friend, and the two still had their "secret" handshake. He was still tall, but not much taller than Arnold himself. Sid was still short, but not by much. He still had his leather jacket, and his white boots, but they only added to his charm, for Sid adorned his own style. Harold was big, but it was more muscle than fat, and was one of the leading players for the school's football team.

Phoebe was still the smartest one in the class, but that was not all there was to this small Japanese girl. She had grown up, now almost as tall as Helga. Her black hair framed her pretty face, and her style had changed from loose sweat shirts and skirts to fitted blouses and baggy shorts. Rhonda was still the richest girl in school, and she still boasted on that wealth. Her looks were that of the latest fashions, thus her look was always changing. Currently her hair was long, layered against her face, and her tight jeans and turtle-neck shirts showed off her figure. Lila was still the naïve girl inside, yet her sexuality had blossomed, and she had no objections to the many admirers that were by custom surrounding her. Her long hair was pulled back into one long French Braid, and instead of overall dresses, she wore fitted long sleeve shirts and short skirts.

Eugene was still a jinx, but he was now a good-looking one. He freckles had faded, and his hair had toned down to a dark auburn shade. He style consisted of loose shirts and baggy jeans. He, like Arnold, had grown up, and his height stood at 5'7. Curly had changed very little, except that he was taller. His hair was still bowl-cut, and his glasses were till round and small.

The gang, though annoying each other at times, were still close friends.

"Strike three, you're out!" Helga called as the ball sailed passed Arnold and into her waiting mitt. "We win!"

Everyone shook their opponent's hands, calling a close game. Then each walked to their own home.

Arnold walked up the steps to the boarding house, which was owned by his grandparents. With his parents still missing from a mission sixteen years ago, they were Arnold's guardians. Though both were at times strange, with his grandmother living past lives and his grandfather spinning stories by the yard, they were the best that Arnold could have asked for. The boarders, which consisted of Oscar and Suzie Kokashka, Mr. Hynuh, Ernie Potts, and the mysterious Mr. Smith, made up the rest of Arnold's family. While Arnold wished his parents would return, he loved his extended family.

"Grandma, Grandpa, I'm home," he yelled as he walked through the hall.

"Ah, young Roman Senator, you have returned from the Council. Go wash yourself, while I clean the game bought at the market," his grandma answered, appearing in her famous Tarzan outfit. When he saw his grandmother acting normal, Arnold raced up to his room to clean up.

The table was busy with conversation when he reached his seat. Arnold's grandpa and Oscar where arguing over the sausage, while Ernie and Mr. Hynuh were arguing with former two over arguing over the sausages. Suzie just rolled her eyes as she tapped her fingers on the table in concealed annoyance. Arnold was used to this setting, and eagerly grabbed a plate, filling it with mashed potatoes and sausage. He began to reflect on his day, anticipating the next game for the following week.

Grandma, now dressed as a Roman General, announced, "A message was received from the Prince earlier today. He has urgent business here, and is on his way. He will be here by 1400 hours tomorrow." With that, she grabbed a broom and began to sweep around the table

Everyone at the table looked at one another in confusion. Grandpa scratched his head as he looked at her, asking, "Pookie, who in Hades are you talking about?"

"Why, the Senator's cousin, of course. He is traveling a long way, and we must be prepared." she answered, now holding the broom over her head to sweep the ceiling.

Arnold paled at the word "cousin." He knew of only one male cousin, and it was not someone he wanted returning. Closing his eyes and desperately hoping he was wrong, he asked, "Grandma, you don't mean Arnie, do you?"

"Why yes, though the use of the Prince's given name is a lack of respect, Senator. You must be cautious with him around, as he is bringing tidings of possible evil from Netherlands."

The table went into an uproar, and with good reason. It had been a couple of years since Arnold saw Arnie, but he still remembered the trouble that the visit had caused. Not to mention the abnormality of Arnie himself. While Arnold and Arnie could have been twins, with having similar physical features, the later had some strange habits which included collecting lint, counting things, and reading ingredients off of packages. Arnold had to repeat to himself that Arnie was family, and family was always welcomed in the boarding house. Yet he was still hesitant on how his friends would react once Arnie came back.

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	2. Chapter 2

Jealousy

Chapter 2

At school the next day, Arnold decided to just get the news out of the way. As always, he told Gerald first. He did choose to wait until they were at school, since Gerald had a habit of getting easily distracted when he was driving. So, while Gerald was getting his books out of his locker, he kept it simple, "Arnie's coming for another visit."

As predicted, Gerald's reaction was explosive. "Arnie! You mean the weird side of your family is coming?" He shuddered in fear as he slammed his locker shut.

Sid and Harold heard Gerald as they were walking by. "Your cousin Arnie's coming back? Oh man, that's gruesome, Arnold. Hope you have enough lint to occupy psycho," Harold stated as he leaned against the wall next to Gerald's locker. Sid could only nod in agreement.

Arnold just sighed as the four walked to their Calculus class. "Well, he's not coming until 2:00, so that gives me time to mentally prepare myself. He called this morning. Apparently, his school has the whole week off for some conference the teachers are having. In any case, I'm stuck with Arnie for the week."

"How did your grandparents take the news?" asked Sid as they arrived at the classroom. The four boys came across Lila and Rhonda standing in front of the door, discussing latest hair styles that had been seen in movies. Once again, Rhonda was wearing an exact replica of the outfit being shown on the front cover of her favorite fashion magazine, and Lila was ooing and ahhing in envy.

"Grandpa got upset that the "little weirdo" was coming. All the boarders could do was state how creepy he is. Grandma, of course, was oblivious to everything. I can't believe Arnie's coming!"

Lila squealed as she overhead the last part of Arnold's statement,

"Arnie's coming back? How exciting! I can't wait to see him again. Do you think he'll remember me?" she turned toward Rhonda, who merely shrugged, acting uninterested in the entire conversation, as it had diverted from herself.

Arnold just groaned as he pushed he way past the girls and took his seat in the back of the class. Gerald, Sid, and Harold sat around him. The teacher came in shortly afterwards, and Arnold temporarily forgot about his situation. Even with Arnie's arrival, he still needed concentrate on school.

The day was over before Arnold was ready. Forfeiting the offer for a ride home from Gerald, Arnold took the long route and walked home. That decision only prolonged the dread for so long, and before Arnold was aware, he was in front of the boarding house. He entered cautiously, calling out, "Arnie? Are you here?"

"Arnold?"

Arnold turned toward the kitchen. What he saw stunned him. There stood Arnie, dressed in blue jeans and a white T-shirt. Though his frame was lean, his body was toned, no longer being the lanky kid he once was. His hair was slicked back, not sticking in all directions as his cousin's did. Arnie then did something that Arnold had never seen him do.

Arnie smiled.

"Good to see you, Cousin," Arnie said, grabbing Arnold in to a hug. Arnold awkwardly returned it, still shocked that Arnie had shown any sort of emotion.

"Hey, Arnie. How's it hanging?" Arnold asked once he was released.

Arnie resumed his place at the table. It was then that Arnold noticed what Arnie had been doing in the kitchen. On the table sat a large pile of peeled potatoes. A knife was next to one that Arnie had been working on. He picked it up and resumed his job. "Things are going good. Just thought I would help out in the kitchen. What's going on with you? How is everybody?"

Arnold sat down across from Arnie before he answered, "Oh, everybody is doing great. Lila Sawyer is extremely excited to see you. That's all she talked about today. 'Oh, Arnold, when does your cute cousin arrive?' I heard that question about fifty times today."

Arnie simply grinned at Arnold as he replied, "Lila? Isn't she the one you like when we were nine? The one I went out with the last time I was here?"

Arnold cringed at the mention of his adolescent crush on Lila. "Don't worry. I don't really like her that much anymore. That is ancient history. Water under the bridge. She's all yours," and with that he got up and headed toward the refrigerator. He hastily grabbed an apple and turned back to face Arnie. By that time, Arnie himself had gotten up, standing to face Arnold.

"Well, that certainly is a changed of perspective. Tell me, Cousin, what brought this on?" Arnie asked, a look of interest on his face. Both boys were the same height, and now stood eye level. There was no response from Arnold at first. He was instead thinking of the answer to Arnie's question. It was simple, yet complicated at the same time.

Helga Pataki.

At some point, Arnold and Helga had become friends, good friends. And through the endless nights of late night phone conversations, he realized that it had been Lila's innocence that he had been attracted to. That innocence no longer existed. Lila and grown into a very beautiful woman, and it had not been long before she had been out on a date with a majority of the male population at P.S. 119. Word got around, and Arnold didn't bother disproving what was being said. Lila was more than willing to confirm the intimate attentions she received from her numerous suitors during Calculus. At first, Arnold felt like strangling half of the school. Anyone who said Lila was "easy" almost got decked by him, had Gerald not been there to drag him away. Over time, however, Arnold grew not to care. In fact, Lila got rather annoying with her tales of all of her "been there, done that."

He couldn't remember when he had become friends with Helga. All that he remembered was one afternoon, the summer after fifth grade, they had literally bumped into one another. Instead of yelling at him, Helga simply got up and reached out a hand to help him up. She had grown up that day, and it became easier to talk to her. Gerald had thought he was insane. Afterwards, even he admitted that Helga had changed. In fact, she and Gerald had become close friends. Close enough that Helga picked up on Gerald's fascination with Phoebe, and often schemed with Arnold to try to get them together.

Helga had been the one to make him realize the truth about his attraction to Lila. Although she was still naïve on some subjects, she was no longer the little piggy-braided girl she once was.

Arnold was brought back to the present by Arnie snapping his fingers in front of his face and saying, "Arnold, snap out of it. I don't need a philosophical interpretation of your deepest mindset."

Reluctantly, Arnold returned to the present. "Sorry, I guess I just grew out of my crush for Lila. She is not the same person I 'liked-liked' when we were younger," he simply said.

Arnie just gave him a funny look, replying, "Okay Arnold, whatever. Why don't we go for a walk? We can see how many people I remember." With that, he grabbed his jacket and headed for the door, dragging Arnold behind him.

The two cousins had barely made it off the last step of the boarding house when they were bombarded by both Lila and Rhonda. The latter was impressed by Arnie's transformation, and did not bother hiding her interest. "Hey Arnie. Looking good. I didn't know you had such an awesome sense of style," Rhonda said coyly, licking her lips as her eyes traveled down Arnie's form. Arnie, in turn, just smirked as he leaned in close to her and replied, "Looking good yourself, Rhonda. And thanks, I do try."

Arnold just blinked in surprise. He honestly didn't think Arnie would remember any of his classmates. Now here he was, flirting with one of the wealthiest women in his neighborhood, and in the process irritating Lila, who was shooting daggers at Rhonda. Unable to contain itself, a chuckle escaped Arnold, which caused the remaining three to turn and look at him curiously. However, he refused to admit anything, instead opting for escape. "Come on, Arnie. Let's go see what Gerald's up to." Nodding, Arnie followed him down the street.

They did not have to go far. In fact, they were passing Gerald Field when they spotted him. He was throwing a baseball to Phoebe, who was trying to perfect her catching skills for the next baseball game.

Once again, Arnold had to smile at both Gerald and Phoebe. It was obvious to those around them that each was intimately attracted to the other. What kept them apart was something Arnold could not get out of Gerald. All Gerald would say was that it was "hard to explain." Helga had confided in Arnold that it was the same response she got from Phoebe.

It was Phoebe who spotted them, calling over, "Hey Arnold. Who's your friend?" Both boys made their way over to the pair, and Arnie grinned as he grabbed Phoebe's hand and kissed it gently. The contact caused a deep blush to make its way to the young Asian's cheeks. "Bonjour. Ja mapplle Arnie. It is good to see how your beauty has grown, Phoebe," Arnie said, winking at her as the blush deepened. It took all of Arnold's strength to hold Gerald back. Arnie took no notice as he turned toward the two. "Hey Gerald. How's it hanging?" he asked

Gerald just shoved Arnold off as he answered, "What's it to you, Arnie. I'm surprised that you even remembered my name," he spouted angrily.

However, Arnie was looking past Gerald, and he had a look of pure fascination.

Frowning, Arnold turned around to see what had captured Arnie's attention in such a manner.

Helga was walking towards them.

Constructive criticism welcomed.


	3. Chapter 3

Jealousy

Chapter 3: It begins…

It was Arnie's sudden intake of breath that made Arnold turn back to his cousin, and he could literally see the desire flame in Arnie's eyes. Suddenly, Arnold was no longer looking at his cousin in surprise, but in sheer anger. It was different from when the last time Arnie had visited him. This time the feeling was stronger, and darker. He had no understanding as to why, and before he could comment on it, Helga had reached them.

"Hey guys, who's the fresh meat?" she asked, sticking her thumb toward Arnie. Arnie took the opportunity to grab her hand, gently pulling her toward him. Helga gave a gasp of surprise, a look of confusion spreading across her face. However, she made no effort of pulling away immediately.

"Hey Helga. It's me, Arnie," he said, pulling her hand and kissing it gently, this time with the palm up. Phoebe and Gerald just stood there, astonished looks plastered upon their faces, although Phoebe was wearing a slight smile. Arnold, on the other hand, looked annoyed, clinching his fists tightly as Arnie winked at her.

If Helga was surprised at who it was that was kissing her hand, she hid it well. All she did was nod, then turn to Arnold, Gerald, and Phoebe, gently pulling herself out of Arnie's embrace, "Hey guys. Wanted to see if you would be interested in going to play some pool at Marty's. He has an extra table now."

Phoebe was the first to answer, "Sure. I can take five minutes out of my day to kick Gerald's ass again."

Gerald grinned in response, grabbing her hand and pulling her toward the street. "We'll meet you guys there. I've got to get a few practice games in." And with that, they were gone.

Alone with Helga and Arnie made Arnold uncomfortable, especially with Arnie undressing Helga with his eyes. Giving little thought to his actions, but acting on emotion, Arnold hastily grabbed Helga's arm. "Come on, Helga. If we let them get too much practice, they will certainly kick our asses," he said.

Helga was startled by Arnold's treatment of her as he eagerly pulled her forward, leaving a stunned but smirking Arnie trailing behind them. Arnold knew that he would have to explain things to Helga later, but he honestly did not know what he would say.

Marty's was a pool hall specially built for those under the age of eighteen. It had pool, arcade games, and bowling. Marty, obviously the owner, had set up the establishment five years ago, and it had been a big hit. It was now the most popular hangout for those at P.S. 119.

As the trio walked in, they noticed that most of the gang was already there. Sid and Harold were intently involved in a serious air hockey match. Eugene, Sheena, and Curly were at the far bowling lane. Just as Eugene was about to release the ball, his thumb got stuck, resulting in him being dragged down the lane along with his ball. He hit all ten pins as he was pulled down below the lane. An echo of, "I'm ok" could be heard shortly before he pulled himself up. However, it was at that moment that the rack came down to push the pins back, which in turn pushed Eugene back. Again, "I'm ok" could be head from below.

Gerald and Phoebe were at one of four pool tables. Gerald was just getting ready to make his shot when Arnold, Helga, and Arnie walked up to them. Sensing someone behind him, Gerald turned around as his pool stick shot towards the cue ball. The distraction cost him as instead he hit the eight ball, sending it to the corner pocket.

Helga giggled, and Arnie did not bother to hold back his laughter, but Arnold quickly jumped to apologize, "Sorry, Gerald."

Before Gerald could reply, Phoebe stepped in, stating, "Don't worry about it Arnold. The name of the game is concentration, and Gerald obviously lacks that skill requirement." With that, she turned and made her shot, shooting a solid into the left side pocket with ease. Helga applauded while Arnie, Arnold, and Gerald just looked on with amused expressions.

Helga was still chuckling as she said, "Come on, Arnold. Help me get some drinks." With that, she started walking toward the counter. Arnold came up behind her, laughing to himself as he heard Gerald try to defend his earlier mistake, "I was distracted…"

It was not until they reached the counter when Helga finally spoke, "Ok, Football Head. What was with the caveman treatment back there? One minute your cousin, who by the way has become one of the sexiest men I have laid eyes on, is saying hello to me, the next your dragging me down the street. What's the deal?"

Arnold looked down at Helga, and saw the curiosity and concern in her crystal blue eyes. It was a moment of trepidation for him, for he still did not know why Arnie's attentions toward Helga bothered him. All he knew that he got a knot in his stomach, and annoyance washed over him each time he saw Arnie looking over at Helga. Arnold could do nothing by sigh at the moment, wanting to brush a stray stand of hair that had fallen out of her pony tail from her face, wanting to brush his thumb across her soft lips and his own descended down…

Quickly Arnold pulled back, trying to get his thoughts under control. He breathed deeply as his senses shifted into overdrive, his hormones raging for the one person he would not allow himself to feel anything other than friendship for. "I just didn't feel comfortable with the way Arnie was looking at you. I mean, damn Helga, it was like he was undressing you with his eyes. I can't believe you were so blind as to not notice," he whispered angrily. He grabbed the drinks and returned to the group, a confused and hurt Helga trailing behind him.

It was dinnertime before Arnold and Arnie returned to the boarding house. All of the boarders were sitting down, awaiting the arrival of the "weirdo." When the present Arnie came in behind Arnold, the entire table went silent. Even Grandma had nothing to say. To Arnold, it would have been amusing, had earlier events from the day not distracted his thoughts.

Mr. Hynuh was the first to speak, stating bluntly, "He's not creepy."

While Arnold thought Arnie would take offense to that comment, Arnie laughed instead, taking an empty seat by Oscar. He started to fill his plate with green beans as he said, "Sorry, Mr. Hynuh. Puberty does the body good, as well as some expensive yet very effective nose surgery."

Slowly, Arnold sat down across from Arnie. The game at Marty's had been pure hell and utter torture for him. Each time Helga had bent over, Arnie had been right behind her, trying to "help" her by placing his hand over hers to get a better shot. Helga had only giggled, stating time after time that she did not need the advice, and would make the shot effortlessly. At one point, Arnie had stood right next to Arnold, whispering, "Damn!" as Helga leaned down for her last shot, the V-neck of her shirt coming down slightly to reveal the red satin bra she had been wearing. Although it took all of Arnold's self-restraint not to deck him, he too admired the view before once again shaking himself from his reverie, chastising himself for his thoughts.

Now they were at dinner, and Arnie was chatting with Suzie Kokashka. "My school's closed down for the week, so I thought I would pay a visit to my cousin, and to check out the city life," he said as he ate a forkful of pork.

The phone rang before Arnold could join the conversation. He excused himself, thankful for the opportunity to get away. Quickly, he got up to answer it.

"Hello?"

"Hey Football Head."

Even after the stressful events of the day, Arnold could not stop the smile that began to creep onto his face as he answered, "Hey Helga. What's up?"

"Nothing. Just wanted to see what you were up to, and to ask you if anything was wrong between you and Arnie. Granted, you guys have never been close, but it seemed you were a little on edge today."

The smile was replaced by a frown as Arnold replied, "It's nothing, Helga. It's just, he was hitting on every female he came across, and I didn't want him hitting on you just because you happened to cross his path. You're my friend. I'm just looking out for you." Even as Arnold was saying the words, he did not feel them. The thought of Arnie and Helga together stirred a deep anger in him, one that he could not yet explain.

He could hear a sigh from the other end and she replied, "Arnold, I'm perfectly capable of handling myself. I don't need you to go all protective on me. Besides, I thought he would be digging Lila."

"Well, now it has expanded to Rhonda and Phoebe," Arnold said.

Helga laughed as she responded, "Don't worry about Phoebe taking the bait. She is just too polite to say what is really on her mind. Trust me, her one and only focus in regards to romance is your idiot pal."

"And yourself?" Arnold asked before he could stop himself. He held his breath as he waiting for her answer.

"He's got some moves, I'll give him that. But again, Arnold, I can look out for myself. Besides, he just kissed my hand. Other than that, he didn't seem interested."

Rolling his eyes as he thought about all the clues Helga had missed, he decided to let things go. "Just be careful, okay?"

"Whatever, Football Head, but I still say you are being overprotective."

Arnold and Arnie were getting ready for bed, with Arnie taking the couch. Arnold had spoken very little to Arnie, fearing that if he did, he might make the mistake of bringing up Helga. The effort was all in vain as, unfortunately, Arnie did it for him.

"Hey Arnold, does Helga have a boyfriend?" Arnie asked as he fluffed up his pillow.

Arnold gritted his teeth, trying to control the emotion in his voice as he answered, "No, not really. Why?"

"Well, I'm thinking of asking her out. That wouldn't be a problem, would it?" Arnie asked innocently.

Cringing, Arnold answered, "Not really. Unless you're just using her, to which I would personally kick your ass. She is my friend, you know."

Arnie laughed as he replied, "If I didn't know, Arnold, I would say that you wanted her to be more. Am I wrong?"

Glaring at Arnie, Arnold did not bother this time to disguise his agitation as he answered, "I saw you hit on Lila and Rhonda, and then make a move on Phoebe in front of Gerald. Helga is not someone to use and toss aside. You're only here for a week, and I don't want you causing trouble."

Arnie showed no outward emotion at Arnold's proclamation, but his eyes turned cold. Not responding, he laid on the couch, with his back to Arnold.

Arnold scowled as he turned around himself, refusing to acknowledge what Arnie had asked.

Did he want Helga to be something more?


	4. Chapter 4

Jealousy

Chapter 4

Arnold woke up before his alarm went off the next morning. He looked over to see Arnie still asleep, having thrown the covers completely off of him. Not bothering to wake him, Arnold got up to take a shower. He had learned long ago that getting up early was the only way to get any hot water from the bathroom.

It was half an hour later when Arnold made his way back to his room to get his book bag. Arnie had finally gotten up, but he was not yet fully awake. Instead he was sitting up on the couch, eyes half closed. He barely moved his head as Arnold entered the room.

"Hey Arnold, what time will you get back from school?" Arnie asked, to which the question was followed by a yawn.

Arnold slung his backpack onto his shoulders as he answered, "Well, classes let out at 3:00, so I should be home between 3:30 and 4:00. Gerald does drive pretty fast. Anyway, I'll see you later, Arnie." He flew down the stairs. For some reason, being around Arnie, especially since last night's conversation, unnerved him. In truth, Arnie had not done anything against him, except admitting to taking an interest in Helga Pataki. Many males had expressed interest in her, and she had returned some of the sentiments. At times, Arnold felt that none of them were good enough for her, but he never said anything, as the relationships dwindled by themselves. Yet, for some reason, Arnie's apparent interest shot a bolt of hot anger through Arnold which he could not explain it, and that scared him. He had no reason to dislike Arnie as much as he did, yet nothing kept him from wincing internally each time he saw him.

He was just opening the door to wait on the stoop when Gerald drove up in his car. Arnold quickly jumped in, wanting to get as far away from his cousin as possible. Gerald did not have to be asked to take off as soon as Arnold hit the seat. Tires squealing, the boys took off, neither speaking until they reached school.

As they were walking up the steps, Gerald finally asked, "Mind telling me what was with the fleeing act back there? You looked like you were trying to escape the jaws of death." Arnold did not immediately reply, but just turned to Gerald with a frown, opening the double doors with such force that Gerald had to step back to avoid getting hit. Arnold rarely got angry, and when he did, Gerald knew better than to pursue the topic. He had a good idea of what, or in this case, who was on Arnold's nerves. However, he also knew that Arnold would talk about it when he was ready.

They were both at their lockers when Arnold finally spoke up, "I would keep an eye on Phoebe when Arnie's around, Gerald. My dull-as-dirt cousin has morphed himself into the Ultimate Player. All I can say is that every girl in this city should watch their backs." Gerald nodded in response as they began to walk up to their Calculus class.

"Hey, Gerald, wait up?"

The boys turned around to see Phoebe running up to them. Gerald could not help the smile that crept into his face as she approached. Despite his mood, Arnold grinned, noticing Phoebe's blush as she approached. Quietly, he said, "Later, Gerald." With that, he headed on to class.

Before he reached the door, a familiar voice stated sarcastically, "Cute couple." Grinning himself, Arnold turned around to face Helga, who was watching Phoebe and Gerald in the distance.

"Jealous?" Arnold asked teasingly.

"Nope. Just wondering what is taking them so long to see what is obvious to everyone else. Sometimes I just want to shake Phoebe senseless, but I know it still wouldn't make her see. Something is holding them back, and whatever it is, it's something they both won't talk about," Helga replied. She turned to Arnold with a sly smile on her face. "Don't you agree?"

Arnold glanced at the couple before turning to Helga, "I believe in fate, and fate always finds a way. Give them time. In the meantime, we can have fun teasing them." Helga laughed before lightly punching Arnold in the arm, continuing on to her American Literature class. Without realizing it, Arnold grabbed his arm, barely holding back the smile as he watched her walk off.

It was during lunch that Arnold received some interesting news. It all started with Lila calling attention to everyone in the cafeteria.

"Excuse me, everyone, if I could have your attention, please," she said in a loud voice. Startled that the booming voice came from the small frame, everyone stopped talking to turn their attention to her. Satisfied, she continued, "Due to the fact that we have a visitor who is, unfortunately, having to spend his vacation in a tiny room…"

"My room is not tiny," Arnold's voice carried out from across the room.

This sent everyone into a commotion of laughter. Even Rhonda, who was one to support undivided attention to anyone she associated it, chuckled.

Lila scowled in Arnold's direction as the laughter died down. "As I was saying, because our visitor cannot be here with us, I have decided to throw a party Friday night, beginning at seven o'clock. Everyone is invited, especially Arnie, if Arnold will be so kind as to extend the invitation to him," she finished, once again glancing toward Arnold, this time with a pleading expression. All Arnold could do was nod. Slowly, everyone returned to their previous conversations.

"Wow, a party! Just what this school needs to liven up the weekend. Yet, I'm not so sure how I feel about former Lil' Miss Perfect throwing it," Helga stated. She and Arnold were sitting on one side of the table, with Phoebe and Gerald sitting across from them. This had always been the arrangement since their freshman year, and being that this was their last year together, they made sure to keep the arrangement.

Gerald replied, "Come on, Pataki. She's not nine anymore. It could be really fly. At least it's a decent start to the weekend, and perhaps a good way to send Arnie back on his way. When does he leave, Arnold?"

"Saturday. Maybe this party is a good idea. The problem is that I'm not sure I can hold out until then." Arnold said. He glanced back over at Lila, who was talking intently to Rhonda. "From the looks of it, I'm not sure Lila will, either."


	5. Chapter 5

Sorry for my extended absence. Here is a new chapter for you guys. Evil Twin does not belong to me, but rather to Nickeldeon, Hey Arnold, and all that jazz

Evil Twin does not belong to me, but rather to Nickeldeon, Hey Arnold, and all that jazz.

Chapter 5

A Movie

"I can't believe we have a test on Friday! Didn't we just have one?" Helga asked as she, Arnold, Gerald, Phoebe, and Sid walked out of their history class. It was their last class of the day, and they were all glad to finally be out. With the sun shining and a slight breeze coming in, the day was perfect, and not another minute was going to be spent in any classroom.

Sid did not answer her question, but asked one of his own, "Hey, how about we all go see a movie tonight? Then we can go to the library to study. It's open late now. The way I figure, we could do better with a study group than studying by ourselves."

They had reached the parking lot, all agreeing to Sid's plan. However, Arnold had only one concern. "I'll have to bring Arnie with us. I can't just leave him at the boarding house. Grandpa would kill me, not to mention that, as much as I hate to admit it, it would be horrible of me to leave my 'guest' behind."

"That's cool, Arnold. He can just head back when we go to the library," Sid replied. With that, he hoped into his car. Before taking off, he added, "We'll meet at the theatre at 5:00. We can decide then what to watch."

After Sid took off, Helga turned to Arnold and said in a whisper, "Unless you want a stampede of idiotic hormone-driven girls following us, I would keep the fact that Arnie's coming with us on the down-low."

Arnold grinned, "Don't worry. I'm kind of hoping he doesn't want to go, but I doubt that. Anyway, we'll see you girls tonight." While he and Gerald headed off toward the end of the lot, Helga and Phoebe headed towards Helga's car.

As Gerald pulled up to the front of the boarding house, the first thing they noticed was Lila and Rhonda standing on the stoop. Arnie was between them, smiling down at Lila as she twirled a strand of hair between her fingers. Rhonda was lightly rubbing her hand up and down his arm, not receiving much attention for it in return.

Arnold stepped out of the car, turned toward Gerald and said, "Maybe things will be okay, after all." With that he headed towards the stoop. Arnie was the first to notice him, breaking away from both girls as he met Arnold half way. "Hey Arnold. The lovely Lila just informed me of the party of Friday. Hope you don't mind of I tag along with you and Gerald."

As much as Arnold wanted to scream, he calmly replied, "No problem, Arnie." With that, he pushed his way past.

Before turning to follow him, Arnie turned to say, "Goodbye, my fair ladies.'Til we meet again." With that, he went inside, missing the disappointed looks on Lila and Rhonda's faces.

Arnold was grabbing an apple from the bowel when Arnie came into the kitchen. "So, what's the plan for tonight?" Arnie asked, grabbing a seat at the kitchen table.

"We were going to go see a movie tonight, then go to the library to study. Did you want to come along?"

"Who's 'we'?"

Arnold had been anticipating this part of the conversation. "Me and Gerald, Sid, probably Harold, maybe Eugene, Phoebe, and Helga," he finished quietly. However, Arnie still heard him.

"Helga's going? Maybe I'll just tag along. Not to the library, of course. Don't want to get in the way of things, as I could not contribute anything anyway. I doubt that my class and yours are on the same topics. I say let's do it."

Arnold and Arnie were the first to arrive at the theatre. Being a week day, the line was not very long. However, Arnold still wanted to wait for everyone else. He and Arnie browsed by the posters that were on display to show what was currently playing. They did not have to wait long, as ten minutes later, Gerald came walking up, followed by Sid and Harold.

Being the first time Harold had seen Arnie, his double-take caused Sid to chuckle. Arnie decided to end his misery. "Hey Harold. How's it hanging?" he asked, holding his fist out.

Harold did the knuckle bump as he replied, "OK, I guess. You seem to be doing good. What the hell happened?" Arnold sighed. Harold was never known for being subtle.

"Puberty," was Arnie's reply, turning toward Sid. "How's it going, Sid?"

Sid was about to reply until he saw Helga and Phoebe in the distance, "Hey, Phoebe and Helga are here. We had better decide what we're going to see."

It was a couple of minutes before the girls reached the guys. Arnold could not tell who was more excited, Gerald with seeing Phoebe or Arnie with seeing Helga. Not that Arnold could blame either one, but he wanted to slap Gerald on the back of the head for being so shy, and to deck Arnie for his blatant interest in Helga, which he was still working on why that unnerved him.

"Hey guys. What's playing that is actually good?" Phoebe asked when they finally caught up to the group, Gerald naturally moving to stand closer to her. "I don't mind seeing Evil Twin VI again."

"I haven't seen it yet, so I'm up for that," Helga said.

Before anyone could reply, Arnie grabbed both Helga's and Phoebe's hand, moving in between them. "Then it's settled. Gentlemen, why don't you get the tickets while I escort these lovely ladies to the refreshment stand." Arnold, Gerald, Sid, and Harold watched with open mouths as Arnie guided the girls through the entrance.

Gerald was clenching his fists, trying to control the anger inside him. "Arnold, I don't care if he is your family, I'm going to kill him."

"Not before I do. That slacker left us to pay for their tickets," Harold shouted angrily.

Arnold tried to calm everyone down, as it was always his instinct to do. "Relax. Gerald, you get Phoebe's ticket. I'll get Helga's. Sid, you and Harold split Arnie's. We're only stuck with him for the movie, then we can go study. Agreed?"

Reluctantly, they agreed. Arnold sighed in exasperation, knowing it was going to be a long night.

Arnie was clever, Arnold had to admit to himself later on. Arnie had managed to sit between both Phoebe and Helga, holding a giant bucket of popcorn. Arnold was forced to sit behind them, along with Gerald. Sid and Harold sat in the same row as Arnie, closing off the row.

Arnold had a sense that Arnie was just sitting with Phoebe to anger Gerald, which was effectively working. Arnold had never seen Gerald so angry. However, Arnold was too distracted to calm him down. As the movie started, Arnie placed his arm around the back of Helga's seat, leaning slightly toward her. Whether Helga cared or not Arnold could not tell. All he did know was that he paid very little attention to the movie.

Every five minutes Arnie would lean over to whisper in Helga's ear, and she would merely nod. Arnold strained his ears to try to catch their conversation, but the movie was too loud. All he could do was watch the exchanges. Sitting behind them, he could not even catch their facial expressions to figure out if Helga was enjoying Arnie's company.

The movie lasted longer than expected. It was almost 8:00 o'clock before they were standing outside the movie theatre. Gerald made it a point to stand between Arnie and Phoebe, but Arnie did not seem to care. Instead he stood extremely close to Helga. Arnold could sense, however, Helga's uneasiness, as she tried to keep her personal space. Unknowingly, he grinned at the situation.

Sid looked at his watch, "Well, it's later than I thought. Do you guys still want to study?"

"No, it's too late to get anything done. Why don't we push it to tomorrow, right after school?" Phoebe asked.

Arnold answered, "I agree. There is really no time to study tonight. Besides, I'm too tired, so I know my head would not hold any useful information. Let's say we meet at the library tomorrow at 4:30. That gives each of us time to grab something to eat."

"I'm up for that. Now, if you'll excuse us, gentlemen, we have to go," Helga said. Before leaving, she turned to Arnold, "Arnold, why don't you walk us to my car, since it's so late."

Arnold did not have to turn around to know that Arnie was seething at not having been asked. That alone made Arnold smile, yet he was beaming when he told Helga, "Sure. I'll catch up with you in a second, Arnie." With that, the trio walked off.

It was not long before they reached Helga's car. Before getting in, Helga turned to Arnold, holding out some five-dollar bills. Arnold looked at them, confused. "What's this for?" he asked.

"Arnold, we know that you guys had to pay for our tickets. This is to make up for that. This was a study session, not a group date," Helga replied, grabbing his arm and putting the money in his hand. She gave him a quick peck on the cheek before getting in the driver's side. Phoebe got in a second later, secretly smiling at the scene that just happened before her. Arnold just stood stunned, a slight grin on his face.

Helga leaned out her window, stating, "We'll see you at school tomorrow." With that, she quickly pulled out of the parking lot.

Arnold turned to walk back to the theatre, but stopped short. Arnie stood several feet away, but Arnold could see the look of malice on his face. Frowning, he walked up to him, "What's wrong?"

Arnie did not answer, but turned around to walk back to the theatre. Arnold walked slowly behind him. He knew that all hell was going to break loose before Arnie left back for home.


	6. Chapter 6

Jealousy Ch 6

A Date is Made

The next day Arnie remained asleep as Arnold got ready for school, which was a huge relief. Arnie had given him the silent treatment once they returned from the movie. Arnold had no problem with that. It had given him a chance to think. He had tossed and turned all night, trying to decipher the signals that he was receiving from Helga. She had given him a kiss on the check. Sure, it was meant to be a friendly gesture, but it had sparked something in Arnold. Throughout the night, the feel of her sensuous lips caused him to quiver in pleasure, which in turn would make it much more difficult to fall asleep. However, other questions began to emerge as he was getting ready for school.

Arnie was into Helga, that much was obvious. What was confusing to Arnold was the question of Helga returning the affection. From what Arnold could tell, Helga pleasantly tolerated Arnie, but whether she was attracted to him was a mystery. She had sat beside him at the movie theatre, and she appeared to be listening to Arnie each time he leaned over her. However, that did not mean anything, for sitting behind them Arnold could not make out Helga's facial expressions. The one thing that Helga had not grown out of was her easily expressed feelings through her eyes. Angry, excited, frustrated, Helga wore her feelings on her face clearly.

Arnold had wanted to talk to Gerald about Helga's possible feelings toward Arnie, but so far had not had the chance. As soon as he had hopped into the car, Gerald had let out all of his anger, from which Arnold could tell had built up to an explosive level.

"I can't believe that jerk! It took all of my own will power not to deck the guy last night. I refuse to tolerate the smug attitude your cousin had developed, Arnold. If he makes one more move on Phoebe, I'm going to let him have it, full force. The fury of Johansen will arise and beat the living crap out of Arnie, and to be honest, I don't think anyone would want to stop me," Gerald exclaimed.

Arnold was not one to promote violence, but for some reason he made no argument as they arrived at school. Instead he hid a grin as he imagined how that fight would go, with Gerald being the victor, of course. He was all for family, but he had to stand by his best friend as well. He enjoyed watching Gerald as his fists punched a make-believe Arnie, and knew that Gerald would not let Arnie take Phoebe without a fight.

However, that was the problem. Arnold knew that Arnie was pushing buttons to see who would snap first. What he did not know was Arnie's intentions. Who's heart was Arnie trying to break, Phoebe's, Helga's, or Lila's? Until he knew exactly what Arnie was up to, Arnold could not come up with a plan to counteract it. In the end, Arnold knew he had no choice.

He was going to confront Arnie as soon as possible.

It was right before History when Arnold was finally able to speak to Helga alone. She was just about to enter class when Arnold caught up to her.

"Hey, do you have a minute?" Arnold asked. For some reason, he was nervous, and he prayed that Helga did not notice. She seemed more captivating, with her blonde hair pulled back into a loose ponytail. He could detect trace amounts of gloss on her lips, which brought back memories of the reactions his body had when those lips had caressed him. He had to steel himself as he focused his attention back to her eyes.

She looked at him with an expression of concern as she answered, "Sure. What's up?"

"Well, um, I was just wondering if Arnie was bothering you last night. I noticed that he kept leaning over to talk to you. He can be pretty annoying at times," Arnold stated in one rapid breath. All Helga had to say at that point was that yes, Arnie was bothering her, and then he would have justification to confront Arnie about the trouble he was causing with his friends.

Helga, however, just smiled as she answered, "No, we were just talking about our date tonight. He was asking me where I would like to go. I suggested Chere Paris, but it didn't really matter to me." With that, she headed into class.

Arnold just followed, stunned. Date? Did she say date? As in going out with him? As in having a good time without the presence of other friends? As in getting a good night kiss, possibly on the lips, to which a tongue could reach out to stroke the other's? He could not remember sitting down, nor what the lecture consisted of. All he could think about was Arnie and Helga, out on a date, just the two of them, alone, together.

That was not the way things were supposed to happen. Arnie was supposed to get with Lila. He was supposed to leave Helga alone. Helga was his friend, one of his best friends. He was concerned about Arnie's treatment of women. Helga would not tolerate getting hurt too well, and Arnold was not sure what his reaction would be if she got hurt.


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimers: I do not own Hey Arnold! or any of its characters. They belong to Nickelodeon and Craig Bartlett.

Jealousy

Chapter 7

The walk to Gerald's car was silent, and Gerald could see the frustration building up in Arnold. Yet, he chose not to say anything for the time being. Arnold, in turn, could not bring himself to tell Gerald what was wrong. He was too angry at himself, determining that there was no right to question Helga's decisions. If she wanted to ditch the study group to go on a date, with his cousin, then that was her right. He was her friend. He would respect her decisions.

Yet, Arnold knew that while he was angry at himself, he was even angrier at Helga.

Helga knew how important this test was to all of them. They all wanted to do well. A study group was the best chance for them. However, Arnold truly believed that Helga did not realize this fact. Either that, or she did not care. In either case, she had no right to ditch her friends to go out with Arnie, his boring, lint loving, snorting, counting-freak cousin.

Yet Arnold knew that the Arnie that was staying with him now was not the same one that had come eight years ago. This Arnie was actually kind of interesting, somewhat fun to hang around, and surprisingly capable of having a decent conversation with. Despite his metamorphosis, Arnie's visit this time was stressing Arnold out more than the first one.

When they were nine, Lila was Arnold's one and only, thus Arnie and Lila's date had unnerved him. It had worked out in the end, and the memory no longer bothered Arnold. He figured Arnie's date with Helga would work the same way. Both going out, having fun, then ending when Arnie left. It was that simple.

The known fact did not calm Arnold's nerves in the slightest.

"Alright man, what's going on?" Gerald's voice broke through Arnold's reverie. It took him a second to realize that they were already in Gerald's car. He did not remember opening the door, nor climbing into the passenger's seat.

It took another second for Arnold to realize that he had been asked a question. He avoided eye contact as he answered, "Nothing. I've just got a lot on my mind."

Gerald was not buying Arnold's act. "Dude, I've known you for, well, since forever. I know when something is wrong."

Arnold sighed as he finally looked over at Gerald, who in turn was looking back at him with concern. He knew that he could trust Gerald, but the truth was that Arnold himself did not know what was wrong. He could explain the feelings he was currently experiencing? He knew what emotions that were coming up. Anger, agitation, annoyance, all directed at Arnie. Arnie by himself was okay, but Arnie with others unnerved him, and caused these emotions to come up. If Arnold did not know why these feelings occurred, how would Gerald be able to help him?

In the end, Arnold decided to just explain the facts as they appeared to him, "Helga is not going to be at the library tonight."

"Yeah, Phoebe told me that. She's going to copy some notes for Helga," Gerald replied as it was of no big interest to him.

"But did Phoebe tell you why Helga wasn't coming tonight?" Arnold asked, somewhat baffled about Gerald's lack of concern.

Gerald just shrugged as he answered, "She said Helga had a date. No big deal."

Arnold's look went from bafflement to astonishment as he said, "You mean to tell me that Helga going out with Arnie isn't strange to you?" he asked, raising one eyebrow.

Arnold knew by Gerald's facial expression that he did not know the specifics of Helga's cancellation. He looked over at Arnold, a look of pure bewilderment on his face.

Arnold looked from Gerald to the road just in time. He exclaimed, "Gerald, look out!" Gerald slammed on his brakes, coming to a screeching halt a few inches from the car in front of him that had stopped at a red light. He looked over at Arnold with a sheepish grin. "Sorry, I was kind of caught by surprise," he explained.

"Yeah, I take it by your calm, non-shocked reaction that you didn't know that Helga was going out with Arnie?" Arnold stated, releasing his death grip from the dashboard in front of him. Gerald shook his head, still trying to comprehend the news Arnold had just told him.

It was only when they reached the boarding house that Gerald responded, "I should be glad that Arnie is setting his sights on someone other than Phoebe, but I was assuming it would have been Lila."

"Well, just count your blessings, and wish me luck. I'll meet you at the library at 5:00," Arnold said, getting out of the car.

Gerald leaned over, a questioning look on his face, "What do you mean, 'Good luck.'?"

Arnold did not turn around as he answered, "I'm confronting Arnie."

Arnie was not in Arnold's room when Arnold walked in, and for once Arnold was disappointed. He was anxious to talk to Arnie. There were numerous questions occupying his mind, and he wanted answers for each and every one of them. Delaying was either going to cause him to lose his nerve, or make him forget everything he wanted to ask. Tossing his backpack to the floor, Arnold flopped down on his bed. It was a clear day, and Arnold knew it would lead into a beautiful evening. "Perfect for a date," he thought bitterly.

The door opened, and Arnie walked in, wearing nothing but a towel wrapped around his waist. He looked shocked when he saw Arnold. "Hey Arnold. Don't tell me it's 3:30 already!"

"Yeah, and I hear you have plans tonight," Arnold stated, barely keeping the sarcasm out of his voice.

If Arnie noticed, he took no offense. "Yeah, Helga and I are going out tonight. I know you guys had a study group thing, but Helga told me she could make arrangements," he said as he grabbed some jeans and a black, long sleeved shirt from his overnight bag. Without so much as a glance back at Arnold, Arnie left the room.

Arnold groaned in frustration, pulling a pillow over his head. He remained that way until he heard the front door slam. Quickly discarding the pillow, he ran down the stairs and onto the stoop. Look to the left, and then to the right, he realized he was too late, as Arnie was nowhere in sight.

Reluctantly, Arnold went back to his room to grab his backpack, then headed down the street to the library.

Try as he might, Arnold had a hard time focusing on his notes. While Sid and Harold were arguing over what their hasty notes actually said, Gerald and Phoebe were quietly talking and comparing their own notes. In the past, Arnold always had Helga to partner up with, but tonight, he felt…lonely.

It was several minutes before Arnold realized that everyone had gotten quiet. He looked up to see everyone was staring at him. "What? Why are you all staring at me?" he asked.

It was Sid who answered, "Well, you've been staring at your notes for the last half hour, and haven't said a word to anyone since we started. We feel we're ready for the test, and were about to call it a night. Are you okay?"

Pausing to look around at his friends, Arnold took a deep breath before he answered, "I'm okay. Normally I pair up with Helga, but since she is out with Arnie, I guess I just figured I would be going solo."

While Sid and Harold just nodded and started to put their books away, both Gerald and Phoebe exchanged a glance, knowing that there was more to the story than what Arnold was telling them. However, Gerald knew that Arnold only talked to one person when something was really bothering him, and he could only hope that Arnold had that talk soon.

For the most part, the study group had been successful, and everyone felt ready for the test in a few days. After saying good night to everyone, Arnold started walking. However, his steps did not guide him home. Instead, they started heading on down the block. Arnold soon found himself in front of the Pataki home. He wondered if Helga was home yet, glancing down at his watch. It was 8:30, still somewhat early for a date.

Voices broke through his revere. Ducking quickly to the alley beside the building, Arnold peeked around the corner. Helga and Arnie were walking up the street. Arnold took note that they were not holding hands. In fact, Arnie's hands were in his pockets, and Helga's were being used to help animate a story she was currently telling. Though he could not make out the exact words, Arnie's laugh told Arnold the story was a humorous one.

But Arnold focused more on Helga. She was smiling as she spoke, and was talking about something passionate to her, as he could easily read from her facial expressions. She looked beautiful, with her hair twisted up in a loose twist, a few strands framing her face. Arnie, like Arnold at the moment, could not stop watching her. Arnold wished he knew what she was talking about, but he could guess at a number of topics, since Helga often spoke to him using the same manner when it was a topic she strongly supported or drastically abhorred.

The couple reached Helga's stoop, and Arnold held his breath as Helga leaned up, gently placing a kiss on Arnie's cheek. As she was pulling back, Arnie quickly grabbed the back of her neck, pulling her back for a deeper kiss. At first Helga seemed surprised. Just as quickly, and to Arnold's great disgust, she leaned into the kiss, grabbing his upper arms for stability.

Arnold pulled back, no longer able to watch the scene before him, breathing heavily. He closed his eyes, focusing on any image that would erase what he had just seen, but it was proving to be a fruitless endeavor.

Only after he heard the door shut did he walk home, each step heavy with dread.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8 Almost-Confessions

See Chapter 1 for disclaimers.

Arnold walked through the front door, quickly side-stepping the cats and Abner the pig as they ran out toward temporary freedom. Shrugging off his coat and hanging it in the closet, he noticed that the house was quiet, unusually quiet.

"Grandpa?" Arnold called.

"In here, Shortman," came the reply, drifting from the direction of the dining hall. Arnold came around the corner to find his grandfather clearing dishes from the dinner table. Guilt immediately consumed Arnold. This was normally his chore.

"Sorry, Grandpa," he apologized as he rushed to grab the remaining dishes, carrying them to the kitchen.

Grandpa merely nodded as he carried his load behind Arnold. Together, they began to clean, with him washing and Arnold drying. It was during this time that Grandpa observed his grandson. Over the years he had come to know Arnold's habits. When Arnold was troubled, he did not speak, but focused on his project with more intensity than was necessary. At this moment, he was drying a plate with such ferociousness that Grandpa feared it would snap in two.

"Hey Arnold, why don't I finish drying, and you grab us some cookies and milk. Then you can tell me all about your problem," he said as he grabbed the plate from Arnold's constant twirling motion.

Despite his mood, Arnold smiled, replying, "I'll skip the cookies and milk, but I would like to ask you something."

"Shoot," his grandpa answered, drying a pot.

Sighing, Arnold took a seat at the kitchen table. Taking a deep breath, he began, "What do you think of Arnie?"

Grandpa had seen this question coming since Arnie's arrival. "Well, he isn't the little weirdo he used to be. He has been helping around the house while you're at school. Pookie hasn't scared him. He even sits with her as she lives her past lives. All in all, I'd say he's a good kid."

Disappointment passed over Arnold. It would have been easier to dislike Arnie if Grandpa shared the sentiment. "He seems like a player. He hits on all my female classmates. He hits on Phoebe just to anger Gerald. Tonight he went out with Helga, and it bothers me how he is going to use her."

Now Grandpa understood where Arnold's problem stemmed from, but knew Arnold himself did not realize it. Deciding that the best approach was not the direct one at this point, he instead observed, "You're afraid Helga is going to get hurt."

Arnold nodded, "I know Helga is a big girl and can make her own decisions. But I don't know if she is aware Arnie is using her."

Grandpa observed Arnold thoughtfully. It was a moment before he voiced his question, "How do you know he is using her based on one date?"

The simple question caught Arnold off guard. How did he know Arnie was using Helga? What kind of question was that! "Because I saw him flirt with just about every female he came across, Grandpa," he exclaimed angrily.

"Well, Arnie doesn't have a girlfriend. Did he keep it from Helga that he was wanting to see other girls?" Grandpa asked him innocently.

The way Grandpa asked the question unnerved Arnold. "I don't know, Grandpa," he replied quietly.

Grandpa finished drying the last dish before joining Arnold at the table. Looking at Arnold, he saw the confusion in the young man's eyes. "I think, Shortman, that if you are truly concerned for Helga's well-being, you need to ask Arnie what his intentions are, as well as ask yourself what your own are."

Arnold had never been more perplexed in his life. He tossed and turned all night, annoyed at not only his inability to sort out his problem, but at Arnie's constant snoring. He had not spoken to Arnie since that morning, and Arnie did not seem to mind. They both went to bed in silence.

Frustrated, Arnold grabbed his slippers and robe, climbing up the ladder onto the roof. It was a clear, starry night, and Arnold found solace in gazing up at the cosmos. It helped him meditate.

What were his intentions when it came to Helga Pataki? Was he just merely being over-protective? It was no question that Helga could handle her own. He knew she had no problem of speaking her mind when there was an action she did not like. But that did not mean she always saw things as they were. The same could be said of Phoebe and Lila. Arnold, however, was not as concerned for the latter two, for he knew Phoebe greatly enjoyed Gerald's company, and it was just a matter of time before they each made the effort to ask one another out. Lila would actually encourage Arnie's advance, so how does one get used if she welcomes the flirting and manipulating. So, why was he bothered with Arnie's interest in Helga?

Feeling tired at having the questions tossed in his consciousness, Arnold crawled back down the ladder. He barely had time to get his slippers off before sleep claimed him.

"You look like hell."

Gerald's greeting did nothing to enhance Arnold's foul mood. He had gotten up late, and had been stuck taking a cold shower. Now he was scrambling to get his backpack in order with his study notes and books.

"I didn't sleep well last night," was his vague response. Arnold hoped that it was enough to deter Gerald from questioning his bleak outlook for the day. However, it was Gerald's next question that really soured Arnold's morning.

"How did Arnie's date go?" Gerald asked. Since he was watching the road, he did not notice Arnold stiffening at the question.

This was the one topic Arnold had wished to avoid. Now, Gerald was starting his day off with it. "Fine, I guess. I didn't really talk to him about it."

Gerald pulled into the student parking lot. As he parked the car, he turned to Arnold, "Why not?"

"I just didn't get a chance to!" Arnold snapped.

Gerald wanted to ask more about the date and about Arnold's unusual attitude, but figured that Arnold would only answer with more vague responses. They walked among the crowd, and Gerald spotted Phoebe at the same time Arnold spotted Helga.

Arnold frowned slightly at Helga's excited expression. His mood seemed to be the anti-thesis of her mood today. Try as he might for a chance of escape, he had no choice but to follow Gerald as he made his way to Phoebe. As they reached the girls, Helga smiled at him.

"Hey Football Head, what's with the Living Dead look?" she asked in greeting. Despite the insult, Arnold started feeling slightly better. She still wanted the playful banter that they always shared. At least that was something Arnie didn't have with her.

"Didn't sleep well," was his answer. He noticed that Gerald and Phoebe were in deep conversation, thus he took the opportunity to ask Helga, "How was your night?"

Helga grinned slightly as she answered, "It was fun. Arnie took me to Chere Paris, then we just took a stroll thought the park." Helga looked deep in thought as she continued, "You know, my other dates were always so awkward. Each guy I went out with was, for some reason or other, intimidated by my 'brashness.' Yet, Arnie didn't seem phased by it. It felt nice to go on a relaxing date with someone who actually enjoys spending time with you, instead of stalking someone else's date."

Arnold's eyebrows rose in question, "You followed someone on their date? Who? Where?"

Helga's eyes widened as she realized her mistake, and Arnold had no plans on letting it go. Any time Helga revealed something about herself, or something she did in the past, he was like a sponge, wanting to absorb the information from the enigma that was her. Unfortunately, the bell rang, saving her from answering. Instead, she replied, "Hey, look at that, time for class. Gotta go!"

Arnold could only stare at her retreating figure in awe.

The day was incredibly long for Arnold. All day he thought about Helga and her almost-confession. He kept trying to figure out when Helga would have had time to follow someone. Was it recently? Or was it when they were younger? Possibly during middle school? Each class passed by with Arnold reliving the past, trying to pick moments when he noticed Helga acting strangely. Of course, when they were kids, Helga acted strange all the time.

Finally, the last bell rang. It was a rush to see who could get to their escape vehicle first. Arnold found himself reaching Gerald's car before the owner himself. He leaned against the passenger side, patiently waiting for the driver.

"Hey Football Head," a voice said from behind him. Arnold turned to see Helga walking up to him. She smiled mischievously as she said, "I think you'll have a little bit of a wait. Gerald-o and Phoebe are debating history again, and from the looks of things, it may take while."

Chuckling, Arnold replied, "Guess I'll just walk home," and with that he started off. However, he only took five steps before Helga's voice stopped him.

"I could give you a lift," she stated. Arnold was not sure, but she seemed to be blushing as she stared down at her shoe, finding it very interesting at the moment. He thought she looked remarkably cute.

"Ok Helga. If you don't mind," he replied, grabbing his backpack. After jotting a quick note to Gerald and placing it under the windshield, they both walked over to Helga's car.

The drive was quiet. Arnold would find himself looking over at Helga, and catching her looking over at him. As much as he hated bringing up the topic, he could not help himself, "So, you and Arnie are getting along?"

Though he may have imagined it, he thought he heard Helga sigh softly.

"Things are great, although we've only been on one date. And he is leaving on Saturday," she stated.

Arnold turned towards Helga, giving her his full attention. Keeping her eyes on the road, she continued, "I'm not saying that I've fallen head over heels in love with Arnie. It's just that it feels nice for a guy to notice me for once. Usually it's Phoebe's quiet charm or Lila's outgoing personality or Rhonda's sense of style that gets attention. Me, I don't have anything outstanding that attracts the opposite sex, or even the same sex."

Arnold interrupted, "Helga, I've seen you go on dates. It's not like people don't notice you."

At this point Helga had arrived at the boarding house. Pulling up to the curb, she turned to Arnold, her expression thoughtful as she said, "The one guy I wish would notice me, never will."

There was a sadness in Helga's eyes that haunted Arnold. He could sense that Helga had much more she wanted to say, but would not, or could not. Before he could question her last statement, she said, "You'd better get going, Arnold. I see Arnie on the stoop waiting for you."

Arnold turned to see that Arnie was in fact waiting for him. Turning to Helga, he could see the moment was lost. Giving her a sad smile, he got out of the car. Leaning down, he said, "Thank you for the ride, Helga. I'll see you tomorrow."

Helga drove off, and Arnold turned back to Arnie. Walking with determination, he stated simply, "We need to talk."

I welcome criticism. Please be nice, though. I cry easily…


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

"Never has a more monotonous statement been said in history," Arnie replied smoothly. Seeing Arnold's lack of humor, he went on, "And what, pray tell, do we need to talk about? How your day at school was, the weather, how my family is doing, my date with Helga?"

Arnold grinded his teeth in frustration before answering, "My day was long and exasperating, cooler today, you never talk about them, and she told me." Smiling in satisfaction at his small victory at throwing Arnie off his game, Arnold took a seat across from Arnie on the other side of the stoop.

Whipping himself around to face Arnold, Arnie glared at him, "And what did she say?"

Arnie made it no secret that the answer was important to him, and briefly, Arnold considered lying. However, the moralistic part of himself won out over his more malevolent side. "She had fun. It was a nice time, blah blah blah. So my question to you is, do you plan on doing it again?" While he was somewhat surprised at his boldness, Arnold knew this was not the time to back down.

Arnie, however, only grinned. It was a full minute before he replied, "Tell you what, cousin. I'll answer your question, but first you have to answer mine. Agreed?"

There was no hesitation as Arnold answered, "Agreed."

At this point, Arnie jumped from his spot, with Arnold following suite. Both boys stood eye to eye, never flinching, never stepping back. Each had their own agenda for this conversation, even to the most oblivious spectator. Arnie was smirking, but Arnold was not going to take the bait, refusing to show any emotion.

"Why do you want to know?"

Arnie's question simple, and Arnold should have known it was coming. However, he was unprepared, as once again he did not know the answer. He felt the moment of panic, similar to when his grandpa had asked him what his intentions were. It came down to the one thing that Arnold did know, and had known for some time.

"Because I don't want to see her hurt."

Arnie just blinked, stepping back as if seeing Arnold for the first time. Confused, Arnold just stared back at him. Slowly, Arnie's face started to contort, a grin starting to crack his lips. Soon, a chuckle escaped, followed by more giggling, then full out laughter. It boiled over from Arnie, to the point that he could not even stand to his full height, instead doubling over. His face became red, and soon tears could be seen coming from his eyes.

Angry, Arnold exclaimed, "What is some damn funny?"

Still laughing, but under better control, Arnie leaned back up, looking at Arnold. He retained his composure after a few moments, but was still grinning madly as he answered, "You. You are so clueless, it borders on being miserably pathetic. You are worried about her getting hurt, but you have no idea that she gets hurt every day, and has been since I first met her. Her talent, among many, is that she hides it, because she feels it's for the best. Why burden anyone with her feelings? Better to keep them bottled inside that release that burden onto someone else's shoulders. However, Arnold, I can tell you the real reason she hides. Unfortunately, it's not my place to say. But I will tell you this," and with this, Arnie stopped smiling, taking two steps to where he was inches from Arnold's stunned face, "You don't need to worry about me being the one to hurt her."

A car horn honked, breaking the intense stare, Arnie's full of ire, Arnold's full of shock. Arnold looked over to see Lila waving excitedly from the driver's side. He turned back to Arnie to see that the later had taken a few steps back, waving back at Lila. "Lila called, wanting to go see a movie. So I took her up on the offer. I'll be back late. Don't wait up." And with that, he jumped into the car, with Lila speeding off.

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Arnold took several deep breaths to calm himself down. What the hell had Arnie meant, she was hurt every day? She didn't show it, which again Arnie admitted she did well. He grabbed his book bag, heading up the stairs to his room. Throwing the bag on his bad, he reached in his pocket for his cell phone.

"Hey Football Head. Didn't I just see you?" Helga's voice chimed with humor from the other end.

Beaming, Arnold inquired, "Do you have plans for tomorrow night?"

"Nothing planned but homework and studying for the test on Friday. Why?"

Gathering his courage, Arnold asked, "Do you want to meet at Bigal's tomorrow, about 6:30? My treat."

"Well, since you are feeding me, I guess I can grace you with my presence. Any particular reason why?"

"No, just want to chat and catch up," Arnold answered, which was not the total truth, but it was not exactly a lie, either.

After hanging up, Arnold went to work on his homework, and focused on studying for his test, as he knew that he probably would not get much done in regards to school tomorrow. A more urgent project needed his attention, and he intended to give it his all.

It was well past 11:00 when Arnie came in, but Arnold was still at his desk, his mind focused on his homework. He did not greet Arnie, and Arnie returned the favor. Grabbing the remote, Arnold briefly turned from his work to activate the couch opening. Arnie, in turn, grabbed the pillow and blankets from Arnold's closet, making his makeshift bed. Silence dominated the atmosphere, and the thick tension was more than Arnold could bear, but he was not going to be distracted.

After a while, the silence must have gotten to Arnie, as he was the first to speak, "So, I hear you have plans tomorrow."

Whipping around in his chair, Arnold did not hide his shock, "And you know this how?"

"Lila and I ran into Helga and Phoebe at the park. She mentioned something about meeting you tomorrow. She asked me if everything was okay with you. She is quite worried," Arnie replied. He sat on the couch as he continued, "I, of course, played my role. 'I didn't notice anything particular when I left' type deal. So, what's your strategy? Be the good friend and ask who hurts her, just for her to play the tough tomboy and deny everything? Because I'll tell you right now, that will be a waste of both of yours time."

Slamming his book shut, Arnold began to pack up his bag for school tomorrow, "I don't have a hidden agenda, if that is what you are implying, but yes, I plan on asking her who hurts her. As a friend, I have a right to be concerned."

"Ah, there's that "friend" role again," Arnie stated.

Reaching his limit of annoyance, Arnold yelled, "Why don't you stop playing games, and tell me what your theory is as to why she is hurt. In fact, why don't you tell me how you even know that. For all I know, you are just saying this to get under my skin."

Arnold knew the minute the words were out, Arnie was livid, as his eyes narrowed. However, his voice was calm as he answered, "I'm not the bad guy, Arnold, so stop trying to find a villain in your supposed damsel-in-distress-fairytale." With that, Arnie laid down with his back to Arnold.

Arnie had once again been able to get the last word, and Arnold was starting to get irritated.

Constructive criticism welcomed.


	10. Chapter 10

Jealousy

Chapter 10

Arnold was not productive at school the following day. Arnie's last words had gotten to him, and he found himself once again tossing and turning, going to the roof to think, coming up with no conclusions, and finally falling asleep just as his alarm went off. Gerald tried to talk to him, but he once again avoid any questions, stating that Arnie's snoring was what was keeping him up, and things would be better once he left. Which, to Arnold, was the truth.

He did manage to catch Helga to confirm the plans for that night. If she had been upset about seeing Arnie and Lila, she did not show it. Lila, however, would not stop talking about Arnie during English Literature.

"It was so romantic. We saw a movie, and he paid for everything, even though I was the one that invited him. Then we went to Café Paris, and he fed me chocolate covered strawberries. Then we took a walk through the park. He bought me a rose, but he stated its beauty was nothing compared to mine. Then he walked me home, and he kissed me on the cheek. I wanted more, of course, but he said he was a gentleman, and it gave an incentive for another date. We haven't made any plans, but I'm sure he will call me tonight."

Rhonda only scoffed as she answered, "Lila, he went out with Helga the night before. Are you sure he didn't just play you?"

Lila just shrugged as she replied, "That didn't mean anything. He told me so."

Anger almost erupted from Arnold as he heard this, but he managed to keep himself under control. Besides, he told himself, this was a good thing, as it meant that Arnie had no more plans for asking Helga out. It was Thursday, and that meant only two more days until Arnie left. If he went out with Lila again tonight, and met up with her at the party, then all would be well by Saturday morning.

During Calculus, instead of taking notes, Arnold wrote down exactly what he wanted to say, only to scratch what he had written out and start over. He was grateful that he was not called on to answer any questions. In the end, before the bell rang, he had made the decision to just wing it, and say what was on his mind in the moment. That seemed to work for Helga.

When Gerald dropped him off, Arnold raced upstairs, barely noticing that Arnie was on the phone. He gave a brief wave to Arnold as he continued his conversation. Arriving at his room, Arnold started to do some more homework, eager for 6:00 to arrive so that he could start walking to the café. He had opted out of going by bus, as the walk would hopefully ease his nerves.

Why was he nervous? This was Helga, his friend, his buddy, his pal, the one girl he could talk to without stuttering. The one person he could talk to when Gerald couldn't understand, when he needed more in-depth advice other than, 'Never eat raspberries,' when his frustrations and fears go the best of him, when he got tired of everyone coming to him for advice. He could talk to her about anything.

Yet, Arnie's words kept creeping back to him. If Helga was hiding something, why? Why from him? He trusted her, why couldn't she trust him? Shaking his head, he refocused on his studies, as he knew he would not have time later that night. He would worry about the answers to those questions later.

Arnie walked in just as Arnold was packing up his back pack, "Well, have you given any thought as to what you are going to say?"

Ignoring his question, Arnold asked one of his own, "Who was on the phone? Lila? She seemed pretty confident you were going to ask her out again."

If Arnie was offended by Arnold's lack of tact, he did not show it. Instead, he answered, "Actually, that was my mom. She was asking if everything was okay. But in response to your thinly veiled question, yes, I plan on taking Lila out again. Her and Rhonda are meeting me here at 5:00."

Arnold raised an eyebrow as he looked at Arnie, "You're taking two girls out at the same time?"

"Actually, Rhonda offer to take me and Lila out. Not sure what her game plan is there, but who am I to turn down a free night out with two gorgeous girls?" Seeing Arnold's disgusted look, he added, "Relax, I don't plan on doing anything like that. You're going out tonight, so I refuse to be stuck here all night by myself. Besides, if I were you, I would focus on your night ahead."

Arnold refused to look at Arnie as he grabbed his jacket, "I have nothing to worry about. I'm just going out with a friend. People do this all the time." Arnold missed Arnie slapping himself on the forehead in frustration, but he did turn around in time to see Arnie shake his head. "You have fun, and please, don't cause any trouble. I know it is the ultimate fantasy for a guy to have two girls fighting over him, but remember that I am the one who will suffer the repercussions after you leave."

Arnie did a quick salute, "Sir, yes sir."

Arnold grinned in spite of himself. As difficult as Arnie has made his life, he did manage to bring some humor into an awkward situation.

Helga was already at the café when Arnold arrived. She was writing furiously in her notebook, almost as if her world would end if she did not get down what was in her head. Arnold had seen her do this several times in the past. However, each time he asked her about it, she would just shrugged, stating it was the life of a writer. He had given up on begging to read any of her material, although the curiosity was still there. She was very cryptic about her work, and he was pretty sure even Phoebe had yet to read a piece of her literature.

He took his seat beside her just as she looked up, closing her book hastily while grinning, "About time. Don't you know that is rude to keep a lady waiting." She slid the notebook back into her bag, and Arnold took a moment to realize that it was pink.

Pink was always a color that Arnold associated with Helga, as mostly everyone did. She wore the color somewhere every day, Such as today, where she was wearing a pink wrist watch, even though it clashed with her dark green t-shirt. It was almost ironic, as Helga was always trying to stand away from all things that were considered, "girly." Yet pink had some meaning to her life. It was one of the things on Arnold's ever-growing list of things-about-Helga-that-have-yet-to-be-explained.

"Sorry, I was talking to Arnie before I left. Have you been waiting long?" he asked as he grabbed a menu.

"Not really. About 10 minutes. The waitress has been bugging the crap out of me though, coming up every two minutes to ask if I was ready to order. You would think that this place had a long line of people dying to get in," Helga replied. As if on cue, the said waitress came over. They gave their orders, and with that she was gone.

Before they received their order, they talked about classes and rumors. They talked about the upcoming baseball game on Saturday, their friendly rivalry coming into play at whose team was going to win. They talked about Phoebe and Gerald, and the frustrations at seeing the lack of action on either's part to further the relationship from flirting to dating. They talked about Lila's party on Friday, and tried to guess how many would try to sneak alcohol in. Arnold made it a point to avoid Arnie, and Helga did not bring him up herself.

After they were done eating, and now sat enjoying some milkshakes, Helga leaned back in the booth, looking at Arnold expectantly. When all he did was stare back, she frowned, "Well, you called me here for a reason. And don't play the whole just-wanted-to-chat game. I know you well enough to know when something is bothering you. Remember when you first found out about Lila? My shoulder is still pruney from your tears. What is bothering you?"

Trepidation rose in Arnold as he looked at her. He had plans for what he wanted to say, and had been practicing it on his walk to the café. Now, in the moment, he was starting to have doubts. Helga saw this on his face, and leaned forward, grabbing one of his hands in hers, her eyes showing concern. She said nothing, which was her way when the situation was serious or imperative to the person she was interacting with. This motion gave Arnold courage, and he covered her hand with his other one, smiling softly as he started, "You know you can trust me, right?"

Helga nodded mutely, and Arnold continued, "You would tell me if something was wrong, right? We don't keep secrets from each other."

Helga pulled herself out of Arnold's hands, leaning back and crossing her arms, her face unreadable. Arnold stared back, trying to gauge her emotions. He refused to give up, and stated, "Sometimes, I feel you are holding back."

Breathing deeply, Helga replied, "Arnold, I have no idea what you are talking about."

At this, Arnold started to get angry, "Were you upset when you found Arnie out with Lila last night."

"No."

"Why not?"

"I'm just not."

"Why?"

"It doesn't bother me."

"Why not?"

Helga slammed her fist on the table, "Because I'm used to guys falling for the other girl, especially that one!" she yelled, drawing the attention of the other patrons on the café. Her eyes widened as she realized what she had said. Standing quickly, she threw some bills on the table, "I have to go." Before Arnold had a chance to throw his own money down, she was out the door.

He quickly caught to her, grabbing her had to pull her around, "What do you mean, 'that one.' You mean Lila?"

Angrily pulling out of his grip, she refused to answer, continuing to walk down the street.

"Damn it, Helga, answer me!"

She stopped in her track, but would not turn around. Arnold took the opportunity to catch up to her, standing directly in front of her. "Arnie told me he thinks you hurt every day, but you hide it. I didn't want to believe him, because I felt that you trusted me to tell me anything, and knowing that if something was hurting you, you would let me help you. But now I see what he is talking about. Something happened in the past. Something that Lila was a part of, that has you hurt, scared, and angry. Something you don't trust to tell me."

"I didn't realize that my life was up to be analyzed by a pair of armature shrinks," Helga spouted angrily, stepping around Arnold to escape. Arnold, however, refused to let go of the situation, grabbing her hand, and dragging her across the street. Helga tried to pull herself from his grip, but the pressure was too much, and she soon gave up, merely scowling as he lead her away.

They made their way to the far end of the park, away from those who were enjoying the last remaining hours of daylight before the day faded into night. When he was satisfied that he was away from any audiences, he let her go, turning to face her. Her anger had not tapered, but neither did his.

"Do you have any idea how pissed off I was when Arnie came back from his date, _one date with you_, and was able to read you like that? I've known you for fourteen years, and I can't even get you to let me read something that you wrote." Before he knew it, he was pacing in front of her, refusing to make eye contact as he pushed on, "Arnie could not have come up with that on his own. What did you open up to him about that you won't tell me? Or did he even have to say anything. Did he make some cheap move on you? Did he buy you a rose, and tell you that you were more beautiful? If he did, then word to the wise, he used that line with Lila last night. Or did it get more physical? You didn't seem to hold back when he kissed you…"

He stopped talking, realizing what he had said a second too late. He stopped his pacing to look directly at Helga. Helga's eyes widened as her face turned red. "You spied on me," she whispered.

Knowing he had reached a pivotal point in the conversation, Arnold could not reply. He knew that nothing he said would justify what he had just confessed. His mouth continued to open, but then shut, as words would not come out. He noticed that tears had welled up in Helga's eyes, but she quickly brushed them out before he could comment.

"We're friends, Arnold, and nothing will change that. But this, this is just a lack of respect. Yes, there are things in my past I would rather leave there. Yes, there are things about me that I would rather not discuss. My reasons are my own, and trust me when I say that it is better this way. I don't know how Arnie knew that. Maybe he's just smarter than you. He's definitely not as clueless. But it doesn't matter. None that is as bad as what you did."

She walked up to him, inches from his face. There was no longer anger, but pure hurt. "How dare you make a judgment on me based on what you saw. He kissed me, and yes, I'm not going to lie, I enjoyed it. Like I told you before, it was nice to have someone pay attention to me, even if it was short lived. Lila has always been able to grab attention, from anyone, no matter if she is playing the naive little goody goody or the flirty little floozy. Olga was the same way, in a sense. Why pay attention to me when perfect Olga was around? Living in another's shadow is what I have done my whole life!" With that, she turned, walking steadily, but with her head down.

This time, Arnold made no move to stop her.


	11. Chapter 11

Jealousy

Chapter 11

Arnold found himself once again on top of the roof, gazing out at the stars. His thoughts were jumbled, and his emotions were in turmoil.

He kept replaying the conversation in the park over in his head, and each time he did, guilt consumed him. While he did not consider what he did "spying" it was an invasion of privacy, and it was disrespectful to Helga. Arnold knew he had to apologize, but was unclear as to how. Helga was not the type of girl you could give flowers and chocolates to, along with a puppy-eyes look of sorrow.

The window opening broke Arnold from his train of thoughts. Surprisingly, Arnie came through, still dressed from his date, or rather dates. He took a seat next to Arnold, quietly looking at the stars himself. Neither spoke for several minutes, just enjoying the peaceful night, such as it was with car horns, loud domestic disputes, dogs, cats, and various other noises that made up the city.

"She called me," Arnie finally said at last.

It did not take long for Arnold to realize who "she" was. Closing his eyes, he asked, "How much trouble did I get you in?"

Chuckling, he replied, "Well, it's a good thing Rhonda and Lila were in the bathroom, although the couple sitting next to me at Marty's got a show. Let me tell you, Arnold, in case you haven't noticed, that girl has a temper."

Laughing, Arnold turned to Arnie, "I'm sorry. I decided to ditch my plan and come right out and ask her what was wrong. She did exactly what you said, with the defense of nothing was wrong. I kept going, and she finally snapped. But then she said something that bothered me." Turning around so that he was fully facing Arnie, he pressed on, "She said that she always lived in Lila's shadow when it came to guys. I don't know what to make of that."

Arnie himself turned around to face Arnold, "Stop and think, cousin. Lila obviously had some guy's attention, a guy that Helga cared about. Stop and think of who that could have been."

"Arnie, Lila hasn't exactly been monogamous in recent years. She has had a lot of boyfriends," Arnold said.

Shaking his head, Arnie went on, "Arnold, focus. What guys do Helga and Lila have in common?"

This question perplexed Arnold. Helga and Lila did not exactly hang with the same crowd. Lila was into cheerleading, volley ball, and the social scene. Helga ran more with the creative scene, with writing and drama, and her sport focused more on baseball, and feat she and Arnold had in common. Lila dated a lot, but Helga had only gone a few, with Stinky, Harold, and Curly, and all had ended on friendly terms.

"Well, I don't think Harold, Stinky, and Curly liked Lila they most guys liked Lila. They thought she was cute, actually I think Curly's term was 'super booty- hotilicous.'

"You mean, they didn't like Lila like _you_ liked Lila," Arnie stated.

Arnold was confused. "But I don't like her like that anymore."

"But you did."

Shaking his head, Arnold turned back around, answering, "What does any of this have to do with Helga?"

It was a second later that Arnold felt a pain in the back of his head, that had been preceded by a slapping sound. Slowly, his head processed that it had been hit. Stunned, he turned to Arnie, "What the hell was that for?"

"For your sheer stupidity. Because you cannot draw this conclusion on your own, I guess I'll have to do it for you. You liked Lila, Helga hates Lila. I took Helga out on a date. You got pissed off about it. You and Helga get upset when one goes out with someone else. Ergo, you and Helga have problems when other people get romantically involved with one or the other. What does that tell you?"

Arnold just blinked. He could not process what Arnie was trying to tell him. It was impossible. There was no way that he could take that step. "Are you saying I should take Helga on a date?"

"No, I'm saying you should tell her that you are hopelessly in love with her, have been since fourth grade, and then take her on a date," Arnie answered.

"WHAT?"

Rolling his eyes, Arnie replied, "She is crazy about you. Did not shut up about you during our date. Well, she mentioned the others, but she glowed when she talked about you. I see the change in you when she is near, and how you grin like some schoolgirl when she calls. I don't even have to ask to know who is on your cell when you pick up. When it's Gerald, it's, 'Hey man, what's up?' When it's your Grandpa, it's 'Hello.' When it's Helga, it's, "Hey," Arnie ended his last impression with a slightly higher pitch. "In other words, you guys dig each other, and it would probably do the rest of the world good if you would stop holding back, both of you."

For good measure, Arnie added, "She completes you."

It was Arnold's turn to slap Arnie on the back of the head, but Arnie just laughed and said, "Arnold, I didn't come here to cause trouble, and I'm sorry if I did. My class mates aren't half as interesting. They have their own drama, and I tend to stay out of the way. It was nice to have a change of pace."

Sighing, Arnold said, "I'm sorry, too. The first time you were here, I got angry because you went out with the girl I like-liked. This time you went out with the girl you claim I'm in love with, and it bothered more ten times more. But, I guess I should thank you. Helga is not going to wait around forever, and if I don't make a move, then someone else will. Someone who could be staying longer than a week."

Arnie punched Arnold's shoulder, "That's the spirit. Now all you have to do is get close enough to her without her murdering you, and confess your feelings, and all is in the clear."

Once again, guilt came over Arnold. He knew that would be easier said than done.

Review please.


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